Technology is accelerating at a rapid pace and is impacting all areas of life — including transportation, entertainment, communication, and work. Suffice it to say that apps, smartphones, tablets, video conferencing, and virtual reality (VR) are reshaping the classroom and ushering in a new era of digital and immersive learning.

The importance of using technology in schools is evident, with digital solutions improving classroom and administrative efficiency, driving better learning experiences, and lowering operational costs. At the same time, digital technologies improve sustainability, helping schools migrate away from paper and achieve better environmental outcomes while reducing paper and ink costs and increasing productivity. 

While there’s no denying the value of augmenting classrooms with technology, you need to obtain buy-in from parents and caregivers who may not be tech-savvy or have access to digital solutions at home. Some people still also prefer the old-fashioned approach to learning, with paper, pencils, and chalk boards. 

The good news is that it’s possible to increase buy-in and prevent pushback simply by talking with parents and caregivers and helping them see the benefits and opportunities technology affords. Taking the time to work with them and demonstrate these benefits can increase trust and potentially turn non-believers into staunch advocates for digital disruption. 

Tips for Talking With Parents About Technology in Schools

Increasing the chances that your digital transformation initiatives deliver the results you’re hoping for starts with getting parents to buy in to using the new tools. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some tips you can follow to increase the chances that happens.

1. Research Your Audience 

The key to any successful speaking event is knowing the audience. As such, it’s important to spend some time researching parents and caregivers and inquiring about their preferences and beliefs. By doing your due diligence up front, you will understand how to best approach them about this sensitive topic.

One option is to send out a survey a few weeks or months in advance and get a sense of their attitudes and perceptions about technology in schools. For example, it’s possible to ask parents if they have a smartphone or connected smart home and how they feel about children using technology in general. Based on this feedback, you can figure out the best course of action moving forward.

2. Pick the Right Venue

The next step is to determine the size and scope of the event. If parents are on edge due to issues like fake news, invasive technology, data security, and 5G health concerns, it may be a good idea to address small groups at a time — by grade, class, or even one on one with individual conferences. This can provide a more intimate approach and let families feel like they can ask questions and voice their concerns more openly.

At the same time, it may also help to have a mix of both online and in-person meetings via Zoom to cater to busy parents and caregivers who may not have time to come in or those who may be cautious about venturing out due to the pandemic.

Yet another approach could be to have a school-wide technology night, where the teachers demonstrate all of the various in-classroom solutions they are using to instruct students.

Bottom line? Figure out what parents prefer and do your best to accommodate those preferences. 

3. Ground the Conversation in Data, Not Hype

Skip the industry buzzwords. Parents don’t need a lecture on digital transformation trends to understand why a new tool matters — they need to know what it means for their child’s classroom.

Instead of leaning on abstract framing, lead with your own data: what problem is this technology solving, what did the rollout look like at similar schools, and what have teachers and students said so far. If you surveyed parents in tip 1, share what you heard back and how it shaped the plan. Parents are far more likely to trust a decision they can see evidence for than one framed as an inevitable trend they need to get on board with.

4. Know the Technology 

Parents aren’t expecting a technical deep dive from a school administrator, so there’s no need to go far into the weeds. Approach the topic the way a confident program lead would: explain the reason for the change, what it costs (or saves), and roughly how the rollout will work.

It’s worth having an IT staff member on hand, either in the room or available afterward, to field more technical questions so the main conversation can stay focused on what parents actually came to hear about.

5. Refine the Presentation 

When speaking about technology in schools, it’s beneficial to focus on the main benefits and avoid straying too far off course. It’s also a good idea to follow the 10-20-30 rule, limiting each presentation to 10 slides, 20 minutes, and size 30 font.

Best practices also call for avoiding complicated diagrams and boring demonstrations that may put parents to sleep. Try and maintain the initial enthusiasm from the beginning of the presentation throughout by offering specific examples of classroom breakthroughs involving technology whenever possible.  

6. Use Clear Language

Technology can be confusing, so slow down and give people time to process what you’re saying. Speak with a confident, easy-to-follow pace and avoid jargon and acronyms wherever you can.

Keep the presentation high level enough that anyone in the room can follow along, regardless of their background with technology.

7. Connect With the Audience 

Educators should focus on building empathy and rapport with audiences by sharing common points they can relate to. For example, any parent knows what it’s like to miss an important notice because of a forgetful child and having to take time from work to manually stand in line and fill out paperwork. 

Both of these points could segue nicely into a conversation about digital forms, paper forms, and becoming a paperless school.

8. Provide a Demonstration 

When talking about technology, showing is almost always better than telling. That being the case, it can be very beneficial to provide a demonstration to parents.

For example, it could be worth playing a video or sharing a learning app workflow over a projector. Remember that this generation of parents didn’t have advanced technologies in school and some of these concepts may be brand new to them.

9. Be Patient 

Giving a stellar presentation may not be enough to win over the crowd — and that’s okay. Expect some parents to walk away shaking their heads. Other parents may be openly critical, and accuse the school of robbing the students of valuable education. Or, technical parents may ask difficult questions that put you on the spot, just to prove they know more about the underlying technology. 

At the end of the day, all of these responses are appropriate. It’s all about coming together as a group to discuss a topic that is overwhelming for many and scary for some. 

Stay patient and welcome the questions parents bring. Some will come around right away. Others will take more time, more conversations, and more evidence — and that’s worth planning for rather than treating as a setback.

10. Showcase select Technologies 

Some schools may be using technologies that go way behind what parents and guardians need to know or care about. 

Best practices call for skipping over backend networking and security technologies and focusing on the student and parent-facing technologies that have a direct impact on the learning and administrative experience. Some examples include apps, online learning portals, smartphones, school management systems, and digital forms. 

For the best results, demonstrate technologies that are easier to grasp — and those that parents are most likely already familiar with. 

 How to know the conversation worked

A single meeting or newsletter won’t settle the question of parent buy-in, but a few signals tell you whether you’re moving in the right direction:

• Turnout at optional follow-up sessions. Rising attendance at a second Q&A or office-hours slot suggests parents want more information, not less.
• Consent and permission-form completion rates. A rollout that requires parent sign-off (new app, data-sharing agreement, device policy) should see completion rates improve as understanding does.
• Fewer repeat questions to the front office. A drop in calls and emails asking the same basic questions is a sign your messaging answered them the first time.
• Survey sentiment before and after. If you ran a pre-rollout survey in tip 1, run a short follow-up a few weeks after launch and compare the results directly.

Treat the first conversation as a starting point, not a one-time event. Revisit these signals each semester and adjust the format, frequency, or content of future updates based on what they show.

Frequently Asked Questions: Talking to Parents About Technology in Schools

How do you get parents to support new classroom technology? Start by asking, not announcing. Survey parents ahead of a rollout, address their specific concerns (especially data privacy and screen time), and show the tool in action rather than describing it in the abstract. Most parents already support core classroom technology; clear communication closes the rest of the gap.

Why are some parents resistant to technology in schools? Resistance is usually about unfamiliarity or unanswered questions, not opposition to technology itself. A 2026 EdChoice survey found strong majority support for tools like laptops and online learning platforms, with more hesitation around newer categories like AI and cell phones — exactly the areas where parents have the fewest answers.

What’s the best way to communicate a new EdTech policy to parents? Choose a format that matches how sensitive the topic feels: smaller group or one-on-one conversations for higher-concern rollouts, and a school-wide event for lower-stakes updates. Either way, keep the presentation short, avoid jargon, and have an IT staff member available for technical questions.

Should IT staff be involved when talking to parents about technology? Yes, at least in a supporting role. Administrators should lead with the “why” — the educational and operational case for the change — while IT staff are available to answer detailed technical questions, so the main conversation stays focused on what parents came to hear.

 Re-Think School Management with FinalForms

It may be worth starting a few technology projects before speaking with parents to provide a few examples of projects in motion. For example, one pilot project could involve going paperless and implementing digital forms using a solution like FinalForms.

The FinalForms platform centralizes school, athletic, and classroom management while allowing stakeholders to communicate from one centralized location. By migrating to FinalForms, schools can abandon paper, lowering costs while improving efficiency and making it easier to securely share data. 

FinalForms is fast and painless to deploy, making it a great option for kicking off a digital transformation project. If you need more help in going paperless in your schools, download our Digital Transformation Guide or Schedule a Demo to talk with one of our experts.